Balance
by Wishingonmy
Summary: "I-I'm just useless..." He wiped away her tears and smiled. "That makes two of us." First Naruto fanfic, three OCs. In the Shippuden era, pre-episode 126. NO LONGER UPDATING. TO BE REDONE.
1. Yin Yang

The sky was blue. The birds were singing. It was the perfect day for a good old-fashioned escort mission. For the past hours of early morning, one could have heard the silent travels of a very shy girl, a bug infested young man, a half-beast boy, and his dog through the thick forest. But that was usual, this silence; a comfortable one. After all, they were busy basking in the glory of a job well done.

"Heh, we're finally headed home, eh Akamaru?" Kiba asked his companion. Akamaru barked happily in response.

They all jumped off of the trees and commenced walking. Now it would be a straight half-hour walk to Konoha.

After a few moments more of silence, Akamaru wheezed a few times. The rest of squad 8 looked at the dog to see that he and Kiba were chuckling.

"What is it?" Shino asked without a hint of interest. Kiba cracked open an eye and grinned widely.

"Don't you think that 'acquaintance' of Tsunade's was a little..." he snickered "… _off_?"

Hinata looked on in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Gay." Shino began. Their gazes shot toward him, Kiba grinning madly. "Yes, Kiba, we did notice his unique conduct and inclinations."

The laughter ceased.

"Great job Shino, whatever you just said just made it not funny anymore. Weird-talking jerk." Kiba pouted and folded his arms, making Shino roll his eyes behind his shades.

A few more moments of silence passed, but this time Shino broke it.

"We were quite inefficient. It is almost 7:00 in the morning. It was foreseen we'd arrive by 6:00."

Hinata blushed. She knew they were late because she got a little woozy at their destination point, the Great _Naruto_ Bridge. She couldn't help it. It reminded her so much of him, with it's greatness and intricacy. She hadn't exactly fainted, but Kiba knew that she probably wouldn't make it on the way as woozy as she was, so they rested a bit.

"Why don't you get that stick out of your butt and relax." Kiba said. "Besides, we're almost there, just another 20 minutes or so."

Shino grunted and they went on their way. She sighed with satisfaction. Leave it to Kiba to read her so well and help her out without a word.

Hinata inhaled a quiet breath of air and looked above her. She just loved the sky. It was everything she wished she could be. Simple, yet beautiful; peaceful, yet powerful; fragile, yet strong. Smiling contentedly she noticed a flock simple brown birds gliding in an arrow, as if leading her home.

Another bird caught her attention though. It flew unusually far away from the others…

_That's odd… Why would it fly so separately from the rest? Aren't all birds supposed to fly in flocks…- Oh no!_

The stray bird that had been jerking slightly suddenly began to swoop down. It was falling very quickly when it finally leveled itself, slightly grazing a treetop, and flew sloppily back upward.

_Oh my! That bird could be hurt! Poor thing… I can't even help it!_

The heiress shut her eyes in worry. She didn't bother to wonder if it was a messenger bird, it didn't look like it. She had analyzed it and saw it wasn't wounded; it actually looked fairly fit, so what had happened to it, she just couldn't guess.

"Oi, oi, what's going on?" Kiba asked. Akamaru growled and whimpered.

Hinata opened her eyes to look at him in question when she jumped. She couldn't see him!

"Fog?" Shino said simply, obviously trying to figure out how such a beautiful day could change so suddenly.

Her body crouched slightly in defense and her eyes, now with the Byakugan, scanned the area.

Soon, the thickening haze was too dense for the naked eye to see through. Being a very damp mist, it rendered both Kiba and Akamaru's noses basically useless and Shino's parasitic insects unable to fly.

She saw bright blue trails of light before her that ran almost like veins. Recognizing them as the chakra flow of her teammates, Hinata reached out to Kiba, who was holding onto Akamaru, and Shino, whose tracts were fuzzier with the insects inside him.

"It's me", she informed and pulled them all together into a loose hug. It was then that, out of the blue, a quick but large flash of light shone off in the distance.

"Whoa! Did you see that?" she heard Kiba say into the mist.

"Hn?" Shino questioned. The flash came and went again just as swiftly as before, although this time, everyone caught it.

"Was that lightning?" Kiba asked in disbelief.

"How, if there wasn't a cloud in the sky?" Hinata wondered aloud. The three stood in the silence of wonder, until the shaking of the ground below them ended their thoughts.

"Right now, we must focus on escaping the fog. Perhaps we are being caught in a battle we are not meant to be in." Shino reasoned. The rest nodded slowly in agreement. "Let us go now before we are noticed." With that, Hinata began to lead them away grabbing the back of their coats.

"Gomennasai Shino-kun, Kiba-kun" Hinata apologized, feeling bad for grabbing her friends so disrespectfully.

"Ochitsuite, Hinata-chan," Kiba said comfortingly. "Let's just get out of here." Hinata nodded and continued forward with Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino watching her back as much as they could.

The mist began to clear as they made their way out of it. The birds that were flying toward the village had shown her the way, her being able to see vital points and all. It was moments like those that she was thankful she had the Byakugan. At least she was useful for something.

Being just clear enough to see, they figured it would be best to keep hidden, and travel through the trees that lined the road. Shino crouched and leaped into the trees, then Kiba on Akamaru. Just before Hinata was about to join them however, a more powerful earthquake swept her off her feet. She plunged forward harshly into the dirt.

"Eep!" she squealed, clawing the ground from her position on her belly to keep steady. Finally, the ground remained still and she pulled her legs in under her with a groan.

_I… I have to catch up with the others!_ She thought determinedly.

Standing, she dusted herself off and started on her way. Beside her sore midsection, she was able to jog to the trees. Just about to leap, she saw something glint among some stray grass.

"Huh? W-what's this?"

Leap after leap, Akamaru and Shino soared through the air. The breezes and the smell of fresh flowers and leaves gently whipped at their faces. Kiba took it all in, deeply inhaling the sweet, sweet smells of spring. Only, something wasn't right now. The scent of lavender was suddenly missing.

"Sorry to bother your moment of scent inhaling, but Hinata is missing." Shino said.

Kiba looked in confusion at Shino. He was leaping emotionlessly at his right. "Huh?" Kiba blushed and glared at him. "Sh-shut-up Shino!" He mentally kicked himself for making a scene of smelling the air.

Then he actually listened to what Shino had said. Looking around, he noticed that Hinata really wasn't with them. Kicking himself again for not noticing she was gone, he stopped his partner on a branch.

"Oi! Hinata-chan!" Kiba called. Akamaru whined. After a few moments of silence and slight panic, the Hyuuga appeared leaping from tree to tree toward them. Shino "hn"'d and Kiba sighed in relief.

"What happened back there Hina-chan?" he asked with genuine worry. They were all leaping together again, the large Konoha gates in view.

"N-nothing Kiba-kun… I-I don't _think_…" she almost whispered.

"Eh?" he said, and saw her put something in her sweater pocket. He grunted but decided to let it go before they all ascended and sped away to send the news to Lady Hokage.

_Well, we did what WE had to do…_ _All this stuff that happened is the Hokage's problem I guess_. Kiba thought.

Reaching into her pocket, Hinata pulled out the object she had found on the ground. It was an emblem made of some type of metal, perhaps the same as their headbands. Engraved in it was a cartoon-like kunai, and on the kunai was a symbol. It seemed so familiar. She knew she had seen it before (actually quite a few times before) but she wasn't quite sure what it was. She traced her thumb on the circular symbol, feeling the indented tear and the elevated upside down tear that shared the circle in perfect balance.

What was it?


	2. The Arrival

The report had been sent to Lady Tsunade. Hopefully it had reached her; they would never know for sure. Being ninja they, after having reported the issue, were required to slip the topic out of their minds, never to giving the enemy too large a chance to steal the information. That is, unless they were given orders to get further involved (which they weren't).

Still, the heiress couldn't help but ponder on the events that occurred earlier in the day. She sat pensively on the windowsill in her bedroom, her fingers memorizing every indent and detail of the emblem. She flipped it over and stared at it, as if her gaze alone would make it tell its story. After a few moments, she gave up and placed the oval shaped emblem and its straps neatly on her lap, gazing out of her window.

The Hyuuga compound was not only known for housing one of the most prestigious clans of Konoha. It was also largely known for its gardens. These tremendous gardens held the rarest and most beautiful plants and flowers known to man. From vibrantly colored flowers a meter in diameter, to the greenest and shiniest vines you'd ever see; the gardens had them all. She looked out at the burst of color, and the little area of stone near a fountain where Neji-nii-san and her otou-san trained.

Among the plants were little figures kneeling at their roots and gently weeding away dandelions. The gardeners. They were responsible for the beauty and the majesty that was the Hyuuga garden. Oh how she wished she could be so useful; how she wished that she too could contribute to such beauty. If she as much as neared a plant, it would shrivel up and die. (That really does _wonders_ for one's self esteem).

Her negative thoughts were halted in their tracks when she heard a knock on the door. It was gentle and swift. Had to be Neji-nii-san.

"Who is it?" she asked anyway.

"Neji." Came the voice.

"C-Come in, Neji-nii-san…"

"I am just here with a message." Neji replied, but opened the door anyway. "Your teammate, the mutt, is outside. He asked if you would like to go to eat something with him."

"O-ok." She said, ignoring the offensive name her friend was given. "I'll be right down. Arigatou, Neji-nii-san." He grunted and closed the door behind him. Standing, she went over to her full body mirror, quickly fixed her hair, put on her sweater, and walked out. She took one last glance at the crest, then she stuffed it into her sweater pocket and jogged down the stairs to the large front doors.

Outside she saw the rough and raggedy look of her comrade and his over-grown canine. When he caught sight of her he smiled, making his triangular tattoos crinkle. She could've sworn she saw Akamaru smile too. Smiling sweetly in return, she walked swiftly over to Kiba and pet Akamaru's large head.

"So where to, Kiba-kun?"

"Bug boy's house." He smirked. She giggled, and they went on their way.

"Ooooh… Oooh hoo-hoo!" a man reading last year's Make-out Paradise leaned into his book, his eyes bulging. The man next to him was snoring his way into a dream of being hokage. His chin was on the counter that the reader had set his feet on. Oh, the life of main-gate keepers.

"Man, oh man! Yeah! Work it!" Kotetsu said into the book. He wore an anxious grin that almost tore his bandaged face, and his eyes looked like they would pop out any minute.

That is, until _they_ arrived.

Out of the corner of his fit-to-bust eyes, he saw three unfamiliar figures walking by. He could just feel the immense chakra they held.

"Oi, oi." He awakened a snoozing Izumo, nodding at the three foreign people with a serious look.

"Errrrn."' He groaned blinking into focus. "What do you- wait, who the heck are they?"

"I dunno."

"Oi, oi, oi, where do you think you three are going?" the once asleep man asked suspiciously. You could no longer even tell he had just awoken when the three stepped toward the booth. "State your business."

"Tsunade-sama!" Tsunade's brown haired assistant, Shizune, sped through the doors and stood anxiously before the Hokage.

Tsunade was sitting quietly, reading through the very report team 8 had sent of the incident earlier that day. Gently, she set down the paper and reached over to take a long sip of tea. Pulling it slowly from her lips, all she could hear was the loud breathing of her assistant. _Hn hnnn, hn hnnn._ She gripped the cup tightly in her hands, but managed to place it gently on the desk.

_She isn't seriously waiting for me to tell to talk, is she?_

"Tsunade-sama." she called again after the silence. The Hokage's eyes shot up in a glare at her. Shizune sweat dropped but still didn't speak.

"What _is_ it, Shizune?" she growled.

"S-sorry M'Lady, but three unidentified shinobi have entered the village, and they won't state their business unless to you," she began. "We have ninja ready to send them away on your order; shall I tell them to proceed now?"

"Hmm…" _Who do these people think they are, coming like that and demanding to see me. Might as well amuse them… I want to take a good look at these intruders. _"Let them in."


	3. She's Nice

The hungry members of team 8 walked down the street in their usual manner: Shino with his hands in his pockets, Kiba with Akamaru at his side, and Hinata… well, quietly. She never acted shy around them, Kiba thought. Quiet, but not shy.

"Um… Kiba-kun?" Hinata began, noticing they were headed toward a certain Jinchuuriki's favorite ramen shop.

"Hm?" he replied.

"Um wh-where a-a-are-"

"-Where are we going?" Shino interrupted, knowing that he'd sooner have grown a beard than Hinata have finished her sentence.

"Huh? Oh, didn't I tell you? We're eating at Ichiraku's." he said mocking innocence. He wanted Hinata to face her crush already. Honestly, it was getting kind of annoying.

_I hope Naruto-kun is there…_ she thought and smiled bashfully.

When they had arrived and ordered (Hinata a bit disappointed that Naruto wasn't there) they sat together eating in the usual silence. Kiba slurped loudly, trying to break it, but failed miserably. Looking left and right, he saw his teammates eating very silently; not making a single slurping noise. Kiba was a bit fed up.

"It's like I'm eating by myself here! You guys don't talk or slurp or show any signs of life at all! Jeez, say something!"

Shino sucked in the remaining noodles. He lifted his napkin, and gently patted his mouth clean. "Something." He said, placing the napkin next to his empty bowl.

"Oh, so you're gonna be a wise guy eh?" Kiba said. He stood and scowled at his hooded friend.

Hinata turned away and looked outside the booth. She did this every time her teammates fought; just looked away. Trying to break them up was much too much of a chore, even for the peace-loving, obedient Hinata. Gazing out at the halves of the passer-bys that the flags of the booth didn't cover, she found her hand reaching into her pocket for the emblem. Part of her hoped it was Naruto's, and that she could return it to him and he'd thank her with a kiss and sweep her off her feet into the sunset. She sighed dreamily.

Suddenly some brightly colored things crossed her view. She could see them from in between the flags and wondered what they could be. After a watching a bit longer, she saw they were people; people with very colorful hair.

Then she saw it.

On the forearm of one of the people was a tattoo; of the very emblem she studied so closely! Kiba and Shino stared at her. She was so hooked on the sight of it that she didn't notice Naruto standing right in front of her, leaning close to her face, saying her name.

"Hinata!" he said, waving a hand in front of her face. She blinked and soon blushed madly at the close proximity her crush was in. Still, she couldn't help but flick her gaze back at the tattoo and its owner. She stood up quickly, avoiding even touching Naruto. In her attempting to run after them, she stumbled on the stool and tripped straight out of the store.

"G-gomennasai!" she called, turning on her way toward the tattoo's owner, and a lot of answers.

"Hn. She makes sure she hurries for _strangers_, but Kami forbid for she hurries for _us_." Shino said watching her run after the bright-haired teens. Kiba elbowed his ribs.

"Jealous?" he asked.

"Heh, I'd be." Naruto said. Kiba's gaze flicked to him. "Those are lucky guys. Hinata's nice." He said, smiling his cheesy, shut-eyed grin while Kiba stared in shock.

_She would have killed to hear that. Naruto you knuckle-head._ He thought.

She staggered over behind the three and saw that they all bore head bands, and those strange tattoos on their forearms. When she was just about to run into them, she stopped. _What am I doing? What will I say? What if it isn't theirs? Oh, how embarrassing that would be!_ She thought, and jumped in an alley. Soo enough, they were almost out of sight among the people. She looked in her hand at the metallic insignia. _I… I have to return this. What if it IS theirs? They could have vital information about what we saw earlier. _She continued to contradict her thoughts, hiding and reemerging, over and over, until they finally began to talk.

"Do you really think this guy is going to go along with this? I mean, he's a _kage_," A boy with green hair began gesturing as he walked and spoke. He styled his grassy locks like Kakashi-sensei's: windblown, only he had a few strands hanging over his headband. His eyes were dark brown, and he had a lightning shaped scar on his left cheek. His clothes were much like Kabuto's.

"The Hokage is a woman." A girl with her very red hair in a mid-low ponytail corrected blankly. Her headband was a bandana tied at the top of her head, leaving some hair in her face. She wore a fishnet shirt with sleeves up to her elbows and a black vest, dark gray ninja Capri's, and a skirt like Sakura's. Her eyes, a vibrant hazel, looked gentle, yet surprisingly fierce.

"Yeah, ok so… wait- WHAT?" he exclaimed and stopped right in his tracks. "Jeez, what are we coming to?" he mumbled. The girl shot a glare at him and he sweat dropped. "W-well a-anyway, _she_ isn't just going to agree with our '_proposition'_ without making us prove it."

"Well, well Taizo, that's pretty well thought out." The girl said, seemingly impressed. Another boy smiled. Hinata watched him carefully. He seemed… different from his companions. He acted more reserved, shy even, but he still had a sense of self-confidence that showed through. His hair matched this. It was a soft, light blue that ended at the base of his neck. His bangs were in five curved spikes; three hanging over his forehead and two sticking in the air. He wore a blue fishnet shirt, light brown ninja pants, and a beige scarf-like cloth that wrapped around his shoulders a few times but still left its ends hanging. She was just finishing analyzing him when the red head spoke again.

"Don't worry. She'll listen." She began smirking in a way that sent chills down Hinata's spine. "If she cares about her village at all, she'll listen."

The blue haired boy stared at her the same way Hinata was feeling: confused, and worried. He leaned in and whispered something in the girl's ear. She said something back with a serious look and her gaze shot over her shoulder at a bush behind her. The very bush Hinata was hiding in. Apparently, he knew she was there too; he didn't seem surprised.

The girl's right hand rose up to the sheath that was placed across the small of her back. It lay on the hilt of a very dangerous looking sword on her left side. Slowly, she began to slide it out. Hinata's hair stood on end at the sound of its sharpness. She had tried to keep hidden behind the bush so the other girl would forget her, but doing so would mean she wouldn't see whatever attack was headed for her. She completely forgot she had byakugan on her side.

Finally, she decided to take a chance. She was going to peek.

_Come on Hinata, you can do this._ She told herself. Slowly she began to rise from the bush so that her eyes could see just over it. When the top was at eye level, she saw the girl standing with the boys where they had been a few moments ago, sword in hand. She squinted, and blinked.

And there she was.

Her view of the three was suddenly blocked by a person standing before her. She could've sworn she felt her heart skip a beat, because, looking up at the person before her, she saw the red haired girl, looking blankly down at her with the sword on its way to her head.

CLANG


	4. Kirimaru

She heard it, she knew she did. She heard the ear bursting cry of metal on metal. What she didn't know was why? Last she knew, when heads were pierced with a blade, it made more of a squishy sound; completely unlike what she had recently perceived.

Her eyes were still wide when she shakily turned her head to see in terror what had happened. The infuriated face of the red-headed girl came into view; the view of the rest of her body blocked by the body of another. For, in the nick of time (oh so literally) the lethal girl had been caught in a weapon lock: with none other than the blue haired boy.

She gasped inwardly. She- he- saved her… she was alive… It was amazing…

He held her enormous sword back with his dwarf-sized weapon, his kunai. She didn't remember having seen him take one out. Were they really that fast? She shivered.

The weapon lock before her continued on. The blue haired boy stared at her. He did nothing more, just stared at her with immense shock and determination. He had no idea what had gotten into her. No matter what the reason, he was not about to let her go berserk on some stranger.

"Rika. Stop." He said sternly, leaning forward and seemingly winning the deadly lock.

She shot her crimson eyes into the sky blues of her comrade. A soft breeze blew in between them and passed on, leaving the air so dense around them you could have cut straight through it like butter. Finally, his glare seemed to have worked. She lowered her right hand off of her sword and to her side, keeping her eyes locked with his.

'N-no….' Hinata thought in horror. Instead of surrendering, the terrifying girl reached behind her and put her hand on the hilt… of another sword. Hinata wanted to scream but her words had left her; abandoning her miserably as the girl pulled out the sword and slashed straight through the boy.

She yelped. The two halves of the boy seemed to hover in the air. She watched in pure horror. Everything around them seemed to go white, and all she saw was the silhouette of his two halves falling limply to the ground. Falling, falling, falling. How could this happen? Why was it happening? She felt tears well up in her eyes until she felt a wet substance splatter upon her.

Water.

"KIRIMARU!" the red head screamed with wide eyes. She stared insanely at the puddle of water where "Kirimaru's" pieces would have ended up; _if_ that had been him.

An impossible wave of relieve surged through the Hyuuga heiress. Taizo smirked. For there, behind the swordswoman, stood the water-style ninja with the girl's arms clutched behind her back.

It was genius. He obviously had either known she would attack, or was just as quick as she was. Obviously, he wasn't stupid enough to risk his life so blindly as to go in himself. But when?

Her mind flashed back to the moment. The moment she blinked. He must have summoned a clone the moment she came over to distract the girl while he prepared to restrain her. Others might have called him chicken. Hinata thought that was very smart.

A grunt from said Rika shook her from her thoughts. The angry red head struggled from his grip, and managed to toss her sword. Her extremely sharp sword. At Hinata. Fortunately, it landed with a _shnnnk_ in the ground by her leg, rather than in her. Still it was enough to make the young woman woozy and slowly begin to collapse.

'So… too… fast…' she thought, falling into what she thought was ground.

"_What are you doing?" _She heard an angry voice say.

"_Help me."_

If she wasn't already fainting, poor Hinata would've surely k.o.'d, feeling the vibes of a deep voice on her arm.

He caught her.


	5. Why

"_Oi!"_

…. _What's going on?_

"_Oi!"_

… _Where am I?_

"_Hinata-chan! Err, chikushou!"_

Hinata's eyes fluttered open. Everything… seemed so hazy.

She blinked a few times in an attempt to focus in on her surroundings. Slowly, the scene of an average Konoha street came into view, followed by a certain Inuzuka boy.

"K-Kiba-kun?" After "napping" so long, she wasn't sure whether everything was for real, or not.

"Hinata!" he complained. She gazed at him in her innocent confusion.

"What happened, Kiba-kun?" Apparently, she was seated against a tree. But how? Last she knew, she was following those people. Then… the girl… and the sword… and the boy… and the clone… and… Then it hit her. "Oh! O-oh my…" She had fainted. The boy must have set her there afterward. She stole a glance at the sky. She had so many emotions in her right then, her heart felt like a heavy muck. "How long have I been unconscious?"

Kiba seemed particularly upset, which was very unusual. He normally just tried to wake her up if she fainted, and that was that.

"I don't know, I just got here… Aw c'mon Hinata! Why'd you have to go and faint?" he whined. Though she had more important things to think about, she couldn't help but feel bad for disappointing her friend. Plus she had already been feeling pretty crappy to start with.

"U-um… Gomen… Kiba-kun…" she said, pressing her index fingers together.

He sat down with a slight pout in response. _Great… Shino HAD to go and be right about this_…

Back when Hinata had left in a rush, Naruto made his little comment and left. The two remaining shinobi decided then to head off and train, to kill time. That's when Kiba began to wonder how their little friend was holding out.FLASHBACK

"_How do you __**think**__she's holding out." Shino said simply._

"_Oooh… ouch," I mocked a wince. "C'mon Shino, have a little faith in your teammate will ya?" _

"_Take your own advice." He said._

_He got me there._

"_Hey… I'm just worried." I said in defense. What, I can't worry about my friend anymore? Well, then again, I do seem to worry about her too much. She isn't just some fragile little doll I have to 'handle with care'. I shrugged. "Eh, I guess I __**should**__ probably worry less…"_

"_Yes, she's a grown woman now." Bug boy encouraged._

"_Yeah."_

"_She's been through worse." _

"_Yeah!"_

"_She can handle herself."_

"_YEAH!"_

"_Five hundred yen she fainted before approach."_

"_YEAH! Wait… oh that's bogus Shino… Eh, what the heck, deal!"_

_END FLASHBACK_

'I _had _to go and make a bet on Hinata...'

"Um... Kiba-kun?" Hinata asked, noticing his sudden silence.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, Hinata-chan… Well… how'd it go?" Kiba asked, in hopes that prying into her personal matters would make him forget his utter loss. That, however only earned him another innocently confused look from the heiress.

"How did what go, Kiba-kun?"

"Aw-haw, c'moooon! You can tell me!"

"Tell you what?"

"Really Hinata, you can't tell me that you practically ditched Naruto, _your crush_, to chase after some guys, and NOTHING happened?"

Now she was red. 'Kiba-kun thinks I followed them because I was… _interested_?' This situation was… horrible. One, because he thought she would do such a thing as to stupidly chase after the first person she saw, and two, because he had NEVER spoken of her crush so bluntly before. She knew he knew about it, but…

"Uh…. Um…" was all she could manage.

A large stack of paperwork sat on her left, another, less than half the first's size, on her right. Kami, if she'd known being Hokage would involve this much freaking paperwork she never would've went for it. Darn that Naruto. She may as well have wasted the rest of her days as a secretary or something.

Sighing, she read through the last of the packet before her and marked her approval with an unenthusiastic signature. She was just about to reach for another when a knock echoed into her office.

"Tsunade-sama." Came a voice through the door. "They've arrived."

Tsunade sat up in her chair and put her best 'serious look' on. This better have been important for them to come barging in demanding to see her. It was for that very reason however, that she agreed in seeing them. They had guts; she'd give them that. "Alright, send them in."

Swift footsteps followed a quick "Hai" as the nin made their way into the lobby of the building.

Then, silence again.

What was this sudden strange feeling? She felt… drowsy. Looking into her tea, she assured herself that she had not had any sake in a while, so she wasn't buzzed. Something bad was going to happen, she could feel it in the air. Being leader and protector of her people, though she admired their guts, she wasn't about to take the strangers' visit lightly.

"Konbanwa, Lady Hokage-sama," Came an enthusiastic-like greeting. The three Konoha alien opened the door and stepped in. Tsunade literally had to squint to see them. _Oh man! What's up with their hair? There's no way these people are really ninja. I can see them from a mile away with hair that bright. _ Her eyes couldn't help but jump from one to the other as they walked in, scanning them with suspicion. _Green… Red… Blue… Really? That CAN'T be natural. I'll bet they dye it at LEAST every two weeks. With my luck though, it probably is natural. Luck hates me…_

"- so basically, we're here to make a proposition."

_Crap, they were talking! What did they say? Whatever, act natural. Ask them what they want. No… you'll sound like you've given in to whatever they've commanded… make it sound like you're the boss… _she thought, staring seriously at them the whole time.

"Who, exactly, are you?" she finally asked. The boy who had been talking visibly flinched.

"Well Hokage-sama, you sure do get straight to the point, eh?" He rubbed the back of his neck, then grinned. "Names Taizo. The vicious red-head here is Rika, and the paperweight there is Kirimaru," This introduction of course earned him a slight glare from the bluenette. Rika simply kicked him. "Ow! What was that for!" he mumbled.

"For being an idiot!" she hissed back. And just like that, they were arguing like five year olds, insults and all.

_Are they serious?_ Tsunade sweat-dropped through a glare.

Kirimaru sweat dropped as well. He looked like he was about to do the most difficult task in the world as he stepped forward.

"La-Lady Hokage-sama…" he said. Or at least, she thought he said. He spoke so silently, and the noise around them didn't help. Almost simultaneously, a vein popped on both hers and his forehead. He reached out and grabbed the arguing Nins by the face, silencing them immediately.

_Well then._

"Sumimasen Hokage-sama…" He looked to his left and right, then back at Tsunade. "We are known as… Yasuragi."

"Are you ok enough to walk?"

"I'm fine Kiba-kun." She smiled. She had that kind smile that you could barely see, but knew was there. It warmed him up inside so much, he couldn't help but smile slightly too. "So, where are we headed?"

"Eh, to the training grounds. Shino should be there by now." They rose and went on their way.

They walked peacefully. The wooden fences followed them, and a few tree braches reached over to greet them as they passed. Suddenly, Hinata looked behind them worriedly. She then craned her neck to look over Kiba, and jogged slightly up ahead. She looked… well, confused.

"What'cha looking for Hina-chan?" Her friend asked. She stopped again, then activated her Byakugan.

"Where is Akamaru-kun?" she wondered aloud. It was very unlike the dog to not be around his partner.

"Oh… he went to go tell Shino that we found you…" _He's probably so smug right now. Little freak._ He thought. Nonetheless, he shook it off, and decided to get the "over-protective brother" thing over with. "So… Hinata-chan…"

"Hm?"

"When you 'fainted', did they…" he droned off, figuring she'd know the rest. Wrong girl.

"Did they what, Kiba-kun?"

"Y'know… did they…" he strained. This would be hard. Finally he came up with the sure-fire idea that swirling his hands in small circles would get his point across. Fail. _Okay, that's not working._ "Ahem… uh… was there any… _leering_ or _pinching_ involved?" he asked hopefully.

Bingo.

"EEP! NO!NO!NO!NO!NO!" she shrieked and blushed madly. If you imagined the deepest blush in the world, then multiplied _that_ times infinity, then added six, you'd _maybe_ come close to _half_ as red as she was right then. Yes, _that_ red.

"OHKAY! So they just left you there, I get it!" he said. _Now that that's over with…_ "You don't need them anyway…"

She shot her gaze up at him.

"You remember when you were after those guys right?" His response was a flinch. "Okay, well when you were gone we said some… things… and then guess what Naruto says?"

"Oh! What did he say?" _I bet he hates me for running off like that! I knew it! Oh dear Kami! He hates me!_

"Heh, he has this stupid grin on and he's all like, (now this is funny) 'those are lucky guys. Heh heh Hinata's nice'." Of course, the hillbilly accent he used and the idiotic toothy expression weren't necessary, but he figured the point would get across all the same. Why not have a little fun with it?

She froze. _Naruto _said that? Her head swirled. Her chest swelled. She even squealed. Finally her long-time crush was noticing her! _I can't believe it! I could just die right now! Of course, I already almost died just recently. Those people… that insane speed… they must be assassins. They'd have to be. With that speed they could eliminate a target before they even realized what was coming… wait, why am I thinking of that now? Naruto-kun COMPLIMENTED ME! _

Kiba smiled at her amusing changes in expressions, but said nothing. Little did he know, she wasn't quite through thinking about her previous encounter. What was their purpose here? Why did that girl try to kill her?

Why did he stop her?


	6. Naruto's Magic

"Hmm… I see…" Tsunade thought gravely.

The three ninja stood seriously before her. The jokes were over. Every moment, every word hereafter, would determine the fate of their mission, and much, much more.

"Tell me… why should I trust you?" she asked. Her words hung in the air.

"Well… ma'am-" Taizo began.

"-Trust…" Kirimaru started. "Trust is the foundation of _true_ peace. No one can live in genuine harmony… if there is no trust amongst them."

Rika gazed in wonder at him. Tsunade remained silent. She wouldn't admit it, but they had a point. What they asked of her however… she wasn't sure she could, or should, fulfill. After all, they were a bunch of teens. How was she to know that what they told her was really true? She wasn't. She just had to trust them.

"I am so gonna get a mission! You watch Bushy Brow, dattebayo!"

"I have no doubts Naruto! May your youth shine brilliantly on this task! Yosh!"

"Uh, yeah… sure…"

Naruto marched into the hallway leading to Tsunade's office with Lee in tow. When they reached the large door, Naruto jutted his chest out and grinned.

"Watch and learn!" he said.

"Indeed! I shall watch intently!"

And with that, he threw open the door.

"Alright… now tell me-"

"Hey Granny Tsunade!" Naruto shouted, sporting his signature toothy grin. He marched in the office like the serious situation before him didn't exist.

_Sheesh, this kid is annoying. Doesn't he see I'm busy?_ Tsunade thought. Her eye twitched in aggravation.

"Send me on a mission Tsunade! A good one too! Not some crappy D-rank!" Naruto demanded, almost oblivious to the other nins in the room.

"Granny? She's pretty hot for an old lady, heh. Looks like he's got the real power here, eh Kiri-kun?" Taizo whispered. Kirimaru shook his head and softly smirked, and Rika secretly slapped the back of his head.

"C'mon Granny! Gimme a mission!" the Jinchuuriki whined. A pained pout overcame his features now.

"Naruto! You're pretty thick aren't you?" her face, which rested on her enlaced fingers, held a smirk. "Of course, if it weren't for you and your ways, I wouldn't be here." She finished. _Maybe, that's what I need. His ability to make bonds could very well be the key to finding if I can trust these people._ Her eyes flicked to the three ninja, who had they're own gazes fixated on Naruto.

"So? Are you gonna give me a mission?" the boy asked in hope. Tsunade leaned back in her chair but her smirk never left. He fell on his knees shaking his entwined hands before him. "Please-oh-please-oh-please-oh-please-oh-PLEASE!"

"Alright, fine."

"Oh, come on, don't make me…. wait, WHAT?" his face rose and he fist pumped the air. "YEAH!"

The Hokage simply chuckled and shook her head. "I'll tell you in a bit." _You little nuisance_ "Now, leave."

And so he did. Very enthusiastically, at that.

"Now then," she said and turned to the shinobi. They immediately sat up. "How long do I have to make this… decision?"

"Tomorrow evening, Hokage-sama." Rika said. Taizo and Kirimaru nodded in agreement.

"Hn…" She nodded slowly. _Alright, that should give me enough time. All I need is for Naruto to work his magic, and then the real decision-making will begin…_

"Yeah! In your FACE Lee!" Naruto triumphantly shouted. Lee bowed forcefully and saluted.

"That was very brave of you Naruto! You confronted your situation with such valor! Your victory radiates with youth!" Lee congratulated. Naruto beamed cockily.

"Yeah! Bask in the glow of my-uh- youth!" he said with his chest jutted out.

"That I will Naruto-san!" He gave him an approving thumbs-up.

"Well, if you will excuse me, I must be heading to the mission request room with Gai-sensei. He would not like it if I followed your ways of receiving missions. Farewell Naruto!" And with that and a salute, he left. Naruto turned and made his way out as well.

_Heh, I got a mission. Heheheh._ He thought giddily, stepping out of the building. When he was outside, he saw a pair of ninja walking his way, talking, out of the corner of his eye. _Hey, would you look at that, it's Hinata and Kiba. Wonder why Akamaru and Shino aren't with them? Hm… _

_Stupid pup. _He heard from inside himself.

_Hrm, say that again! Dumb_ _fox._

"Oi!" He called, running up to meet them.

_Oh, it's Naruto-kun!_ Hinata blushed.

"He-hello, Naruto… kun."

"Hey Hinata-chan!" he said when they stopped at a corner.

_What, no hey Kiba? Jerk… _The Inuzuka thought with a frown. Naruto seemed to not have noticed as he continued to smile at Hinata, which in turn made her blush more.

_Heh, that's funny, she's always sick every time I see her! _ Naruto chuckled inwardly.

_Ugh. Imbecile…_ The voice growled deeply.

The friendly smile that was on his face turned without warning into a larger grin. "So anyway Hinata! Congratulations on going after those guys! You're really coming outta your shell!" he chuckled at the girl.

Oh! He thought I was interested too! Oh no, now how will I ever be able to confess! Not that I would anyway… erm… look… there are three… Narutos…

"Yo Naruto, leave before we suffocate on your idiot vibes, eh?" Kiba butt in. Hinata was swaying a little too much for his liking.

"Why don't you say that in my face?" the blonde challenged, obviously not taking the hint.

"I would, but that means I'd have to look at it." Kiba rolled his eyes, smirking.

"And what's wrong with that huh?" Now Naruto had a fist in his face. His expression was priceless.

"I dunno, why don't you ask all the mirrors that break when you look in em?"

"Why don't I ask your mom?"

"She'd say you were fugly."

"That's not what she said last night!"

"You know what?-"

PLOP

Both boys looked at each other in confusion. "What the- HINATA!"

Naruto jumped to her side and began to shake her. "Hinata! Hinata!"

That's strange, didn't she JUST faint a little while ago? There's no way she- oh… "Eh Naruto, leave her with me I'll take care of her."

"What? You sure?"

"Yeah. Don't worry about it."

They stood in silence for a moment. He didn't want to just leave her… but Kiba knew about her best.

"Well, alright." He gave in. He stood and jogged a few meters away, then stopped. "Oh! Tell Hinata I said bye!" he shouted, then disappeared around a corner.

"Did you hear that Hina-chan, or do I have to repeat it?" he said, still facing Naruto's direction and leaning in beside her. He smirked when hints of red crept onto her still features.

"I-I heard…" she whispered. It was just like Hinata to try to stop an argument, and doing so without violence was all the nicer. Kiba knew he had to do something for this sweet girl.

"Wait! I got it!" Kiba exclaimed. The heiress sat up curiously. Her hair slid off of her shoulders and swung slightly before touching the sidewalk. "Have you noticed that ever since you went looking for those guys, Naruto's been paying more attention to you?" she nodded bashfully as he helped her of the ground. "You know what I think? You have to get him jealous!"

Hinata kept her gaze low during their walk to the training grounds, but at that thought, she shot her wide eyes forward. Though she highly doubted it, she figured it might work. Besides, if Kiba, Naruto's close academy friend, thought it would work, then why doubt it?

Her bashful smile crept onto her face and her shoulders rose in giddiness. Kiba knew he gave her hope, and he was glad, but he still had a twinge of guilt in himself for doing so. He couldn't help but feel he was misleading her.

She doesn't have a chance, being as shy as she is, he thought and smiled pitifully, Naruto's just too dense. Idiot… Maybe, I could get her to fall in love with someone else. Like unintentionally! I'll set her up on some dates, and maybe someone will "broom her off her legs" or whatever. Kami… I hope this works…


	7. Decisions, decisions

"But… h-how Kiba… k-kun?" she asked after collecting her emotions.

He grinned at her like if she had just asked him to sell her something illegally.

"Go out with other guys…" he smirked, nodding slowly. To his surprise, she didn't blush. As a matter of fact, she didn't show any form of embarrassment… or thinking it was outrageous. She looked like she was actually considering it.

This might be easier than I thought…

"But I… couldn't just use someone like that…" she said, more to herself than to Kiba. She looked down at her feet like if she was afraid she'd get laughed at.

Oh, right. This is Hinata I'm talking about. "Uh- you're not using them -if it's just a dinner or something…" He tried. "Here, I'll even help you pick a guy!"

She didn't say yes, but she didn't say no either, so he decided to continue 'helping' her. It's gotta be someone I know won't hurt her… Maybe… "How about one of the guys from the academy?"

"I… I don't know..." she hesitated, placing her thumbnail on her lip.

"Please! Come on Hina-chan!" he pleaded. He pouted in defeat when he saw she was still unsure. Then, slowly, he leaned in and almost whispered. "You want Naruto right?"

Her eyes widened. Her body perked up instantly and she nodded swiftly.

Kiba smirked to himself.

"Ye-yes." She said.

"Alright then!" He smiled. Rubbing his chin in thought, he considered the options. Hinata stood waiting expectantly for her choices. "How about…" He snapped and pointed at her. "Shikamaru!"

Hinata looked away and pointed her fingers together. "Wouldn't he think it were too…" she paused.

"Troublesome. Right…" he went back to his pensive state. "Ooh! How about Lee?"

Hinata's eyes widened and her brows furrowed. Her expression was an attempt at a polite 'hell no'. She opened her mouth to try and give a reason why (and not seem like a total jerk) when Kiba raised his hand for her to stop.

"Yeah don't… just… yeah." He said, not even looking at her, having returned to his deep thought. After a few more seconds he looked up to her hesitantly. "Uh… Shino?" he shrugged.

Hinata blushed slightly. "I don't think it would be right… He's very nice… and I care for him dearly… but it would just be too strange." She reasoned. Kiba nodded in acceptance. A grin slowly appeared on his face, and he chuckled.

"If he heard you say that, he'd probably cry himself to sleep every night. Heh heh…" Hinata pushed him a bit, trying (but failing) to hide her smile.

"Kiba-kun!" she scolded, now with a full-out 'Hinata smile'.

"Eh, it's true! The guy never lets things go!" he defended, and chuckled. Slowly, their giggle fit ended. They walked another block in an after-laugh silence. However, Hinata felt it was more than just that. The entire mood had changed to one peculiarly more somber. She looked up at her friend worriedly. Just as she thought, he was facing forward with a serious expression. She opened her mouth to speak but Kiba beat her to it.

"Hinata, you have to be careful." He said. Now she was worried. He looked at her just as seriously. "Whoever you choose might really fall in love with you."

"… Wha-?" One, she had no idea where this came from, and two, she thought, why would anyone fall in love with her? She stared at him.

"Oh, come on. You're sweet, you're non-violent, really pretty, I mean, who wouldn't?" She blushed and started playing bashfully with her hair. He smiled teasingly. "So… got any ideas of who to choose? … I'm all out…"

"Um… maybe… may I try… Sai?" she asked. He blinked. "I could get to know him… and he seems very nice…"

"Sure, I guess…" I don't know though… he's an emotionless perv from what Naruto says, and Naruto knows what's perverted… BUT I guess I could let her. I worry too much anyway.

"Okay… then…"

"I'll tell him to take you out." Kiba said and smiled. And if he does anything to you I'll take him out.

…

Oh Dear. Lady Tsunade is so stressed right now. This whole decision must be taking such a toll on her. It's not long before she starts drinking... Wait… her sake stash!

Shizune, who had been walking worriedly through the halls of the building, turned on her heel and sped to the Hokage's office. She looked so determined and serious, anyone would've thought she was handling a matter of life or death. To her, it kind of was. _Her own_ life or death.

The sweat that gathered on her brow was left to float in the air behind her as she ran. When she reached the office doors, she tried to stop, but skidded because of her speed. She fumbled for the doorknob and balance at once, and ended up bursting sloppily through the doors.

To her surprise, there weren't three bottles of sake on her desk. In fact, there wasn't a single one. Instead, Tsunade sat with her face resting on her laced fingers. She looked very pensive, even after Shizune's loud entrance.

The Hokage's assistant walked up to the desk, scanning the room for any sign of alcoholic beverages. Finding none, she glanced curiously at Tsunade, who by then was returning the glance.

"M'Lady?" she said, still trying to grasp the situation.

Tsunade arched a brow. That was usually the sign that the panting assistant should elaborate, but when she simply sweat-dropped, the elder woman decided to let the topic slide. It wasn't hard, since it certainly wasn't the greatest thing on her mind.

She had decided a while before that she would trust the gutsy young ninja. It hadn't hurt her to trust one before, heck, she was respected again because of him, but now it wasn't just her who would benefit or lose from this decision. Now she had the whole village's well being on her shoulders. Now whatever she chose could potentially hurt her village, and she couldn't let that happen.

Shizune understood that the silence wasn't one of disregard, and stood supportively, an equally supportive Tom-Tom now in her arms.

"I trust them." The blonde stated. Shizune nodded loyally. "… But I'm not entirely sure who to send…"

The brunette perked up slightly, finally finding some way to be of some help.

"They requested one of our ninja, correct? Why not send an ANBU? One appropriate for the situation, as you did with 'Yamato'"

"I thought of that too, but they trusted us to one of our most skilled ninja. Simply sending an ANBU would completely demolish the entire reason why they have made this request."

"I see… And Sakura M'lady?" she asked, adjusting the slipping pig in her arms.

Tsunade shook her head. "No. She's too valuable to us. I trust them, but I'm not stupid."

Shizune nodded slowly. Sending their medic genius away with a random squad _would_ be very unethical. She had too much potential there in the village to go away, and with this lead they were getting on Sasuke, she most certainly wouldn't take fondly to going either.

A silence passed amongst them. Both women couldn't deny that sending Naruto had indeed crossed their minds. He had proven himself many a time to be a powerful ninja. Of course, similar problems would arise as well, and being a Jinchuuriki he would be put under too great a risk. So, they slipped _that_ choice to the back of their minds.

"Well, we have other jounin that have definitely proven themselves." Shizune reasoned. "Like… Nara Shikamaru?" she added hopefully.

"No."

The poor assistant almost fell anime-style. "Wh-why ever not M'lady? He is very intelligent, he's taken down an _immortal_ member of the Akatsuki-"

"-I know very well what he's done." Tsunade firmly stated. "I also know he has made a promise he wishes to keep, and I respect that."

"But-"

"You wanna give it a shot Shizune?" she smirked. "He's turned down the _Guardian Shinobi Twelve_. The kid means business."

"Well then…" she said. It was best she just give up and try another option, she thought. "I suppose we could send… Hyuuga Neji?"

Tsunade remained silent. He was certainly highly skilled. A little prodigy, the boy; pride of the Hyuuga, despite being a branch member. Of course, that very reason was what she hesitated on. That Hyuuga Hiashi had a pole too far up his hind to allow him to go.

She noticed the shadows in the room had grown longer, indicating late afternoon. Already nearing the end of the day. With the potential Itachi-hunt in week and the due-date for her decision tomorrow evening, she didn't have time to have too many doubts. She had to get _someone_ to go, and right now, that someone was Neji.

"Hiashi better allow it, or we're screwed." She mumbled.


	8. Watch

A certain kunoichi, with locks the color of cherry blossoms, pushed open the door of a shop. A chime cut through the overbearing smell of flowers as she stepped in. All she could see were vibrant reds and purples and yellows and blues, dotting the entire area.

She sighed. Finding the right ones would definitely take a while. Walking pensively through the shop, she saw a flash of soft yellow from the corner of her eye.

Ino had just walked out from the back room, and was now organizing a few more bouquets of color in to match the rest. She hadn't noticed Sakura until she turned around, rubbing her hands on her apron. Her face lit immediately, a smirk indenting her soft face.

"Hey forehead! What brings you here?" she called.

Sakura turned to the voice and put on a tired smile.

"I'm looking for some flowers." She lifted the Get-Well card she was holding so Ino could see. "My aunt's sick."

Ino's smirk faltered and she moaned sympathetically. Sakura just nodded knowingly and turned back to the flowers, Ino hovering beside her to help her decide.

"OH!" she said suddenly.

"…" Sakura blinked. Ino put her hands on her hips.

"Good thing I remembered~! You'll NEVER guess what I heard."

The pinkette resisted the urge to roll her eyes, trying to look interested. "What?"

"It's Hinata! I heard she's going around dating everyone! Can you believe her?"

Sakura replaced the flower she was holding. Her eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. "Who? _Hinata?_ No way."

"Mmhm." Ino turned back and sprayed a few camellias with water. "That girl isn't the little innocent angel people take her to be." She slammed the bottle on the counter. "I can't believe her! She's with MY SAI _right now_!"

"Sai?" Sakura said to herself, wondering why he would be chosen, of all people. Of course, whoever Hinata chose would date her in a heartbeat. She was a really pretty girl.

Sakura put a flower to her chest. _And even more developed…_ she thought.

She then placed the flower in its spot and without thinking felt another's pedals. Her face was expressionless.

"-and I mean, come on! Really? Can you… Hey? Are you listening?" Ino said accusingly.

"Has she… gone out with Naruto and the others yet?" Sakura said, still inspecting the pedal with her thumb and forefinger.

Ino blinked, then frowned suspiciously; her hand on her hip. "I don't know-….. wait, _Naruto _and the others? What makes _Naruto_ so special?"

Sakura froze at her friend's comment. She didn't realize she had said that.

"Uh…" She mentally shook away her loss of words and quickly composed herself. "Nothing, Ino-pig!"

Ino rose a fist threateningly.

"What did you say, Billboard Brow?" she growled. A vein popped on both kunoichis' heads.

"Well… has she or not?" Sakura growled in return. Her reply was a scoff as the blonde began to walk to another floral arrangement, annoyed. She twirled her hand dismissively.

"I don't know! Why _would_ she? He's an idiot!" she said, then smirked, taking some dead clippings to the trash. "Where else could you have gotten it from?"

Sakura remained silent (**a first xD**) making Ino's smirk grow wider as she walked behind the counter.

"…I have to go." the medic-nin said, turning on her heel, and briskly walking out.

"Wait! Forehead~!" Ino called, but the other girl was already out the door. "You left your Get-Well card…"

…

Sai looked up at the restaurant sign before him emotionlessly. He looked to his right at Hinata, whose head was lowered, then back at the sign. His gaze remained on it for a while longer, analyzing it, his face blank.

Hinata looked up at him curiously, and he, feeling her gaze, looked back at her with his fake smile. Hinata quickly looked away. He was handsome and all, but that smile, to her, was creepy. She wondered how anyone could live having to fake emotions they didn't feel.

After a few moments more of silence, Sai moved aside the flag of the booth to let Hinata through (manners courtesy of a book he read the previous week). She bowed her head thankfully and walked inside. Before he went in, he took one more look at the sign. Ichiraku's…

"Well hello there!" the old man greeted with an aged smile as the two took their seats. "What can I get you two?"

Hinata smiled as sweetly as she could. "May I have a bowl of beef ramen please?" she asked, accommodating herself on the stool.

Teuchi raised a brow. "Why Hinata, you always ask for miso ramen! Don't go changing on me just 'cause o' your date." He said playfully. He chuckled when he saw Hinata blushing lightly. Sai stared at her.

"Leave her alone!" Ayame scolded as she came from the back room. After shooing the man away, she grinned happily. "Well, Hinata! I won't ruin your date." she winked. She looked at Sai, smiled, and bowed quickly. "Your food will be ready shortly."

She walked to the back of the room. A few seconds later, the two heard a shout and pots clashing. Hinata's eyes widened in worry as she tried to get a look at what happened. Sai simply raised his brow.

Then silence.

Reemerging from the ruckus came a tired looking Teuchi with two steaming bowls in his hands. He placed them on the counter before the two and forced a smile.

"Enjoy." He said and very stiffly, he returned to the back.

_Did he get yelled at because of us? _ Hinata feared. She put her thumbnail on her lip with concern. Suddenly, she heard a snap beside her. She looked to her right and saw Sai, digging in to some ramen he hadn't even ordered. Still, he didn't seem phased by the situation, so she marked it off was nothing and began to eat.

A few times during the meal, Ayame would check up on them from the back room, smiling insanely. Other than that, the meal was eaten in silence. Until-

"You can… how do you say… chop the act."

Hinata nearly spit out her noodles. Sai was now the object of her confused gaze. He smiled.

"Wh-what?" She barely managed. What he meant was beyond her. Well, she had an idea, but she was too scared of the possibility to consider it.

He pulled out a book from nowhere and showed it to her, still smiling. Confusedly, she read the title.

_Jealousy: Manipulating The Heart_

She froze.

"I am being 'used', am I not?" he said. Smiling.

"Uh… um…" she tried, looking at the floor around the artist. _'you're not using them -if it's just a dinner or something…'_ _he says. Why did I even go along with it? Oh~… I _knew_ I shouldn't have done this!_

She began to play with her hair and bit her lip. Her leg shook nervously, as she avoided looking him in the eye. Sai tilted his head slightly at that, never ceasing to smile.

"Don't fret, Shy Girl." He said in an attempt to comfort her.

_Huh?_

"I should advise you however, that this effort if futile. This attempt to make Naruto… jealous, it is pointless. Naruto does not love you. Nor will he ever."

Hinata's heart stopped. How Sai had known about her feelings for Naruto was beyond her, but that definitely wasn't what was going through her mind. _Naruto does not love you. Nor will he ever._ Those words hung in the air long after they were said; simply followed by the eerie silence of his smile.

Her eyes began to sting. The air in her lungs felt heavy, and she tried and tried to get it in and out of her lungs to breath but her tears were making it harder. She needed air. She needed to leave that dark, heavy space and be able to breath and think again. With no idea what to do, she did the only thing she could.

She ran.

She threw herself off of the stool and out of the shop and ran. Each step brought a new thought to her mind.

_Why did I do this? Did I really think this would work? Did I really think Naruto would love me?_

And all the while that she ran she told herself over and over how stupid she was, because once couldn't possibly remind her enough.

Sai sat and watched her escape. He watched her stumble and run. And he watched the flaps of the store sway with the speed of her flee. And all he could think of, was what he said wrong, what he did to make her act the way she did, why he now had this stir of pain inside him. And he thought of it all as his smile swiftly slipped away. He really had to learn to watch his words…


	9. Dandelion

**A/N: The first author's note of the story! Yay! First of all, Merry Christmas/ Happy Holidays! Here's a very short chapter for you viewers out there. I just wanted to update- since I haven't in forever- so this chapter isn't exactly thesis-worthy material. Don' fret however, the real meat-filled chapters are coming soon!**

_Naruto does not love you, nor will he ever._

She always thought so. It was always in the back of her head, plaguing her like a shadow, despite how much hope she'd try to cling to. So it wasn't like it was a new concept for her mind.

What hurt was just that; it was only in her mind before. In her mind, she could easily tell herself that she was only being pessimistic- that she might actually have a chance… but now, someone had said it. Someone had _spoken_ her fears, and that confirmed them a reality.

The tear stained Hyuuga finally slowed to a stop. She would have continued, but her body stopped her by a tree. Crying made her too weak to continue.

The previous tears had by then dried, and began to cool her burning face as she leaned against the large oak tree. The simple contact with the tree seemed to have triggered her emotions, for instantly, she began to slide her back down the trunk, falling like her new batch of tears. Like that she sat for what could have been hours before her sobs drifted to whimpers and post crying hiccups.

She pulled her legs up against her chest. With her barbaric crying over, her mind was clear enough to mull her thoughts around in her mind.

_How could I be so naïve?_

… _How can I make someone jealous who doesn't even care?_

She bitterly wiped away her stray tears on her sleeve. It was then that she began to really take in her surroundings for the first time. She sat by a large oak tree on a hill that overlooked some of the village; that much she'd gathered. Seemingly losing interest in finding out where exactly she was, she found herself staring down at a lone dandelion swaying peacefully in the cool breeze of the evening.

"… Are you alone too?" she asked it desolately. As if in reply, the dandelion swayed a bit more. She smiled numbly at how much it looked like it was nodding. A small gust of wind blew in then, and pushed at the weed. Defiantly it clung to the ground, losing all its seeds but one. She stared at it tiredly. It looked bland, dull and ugly now; a perfect mirror of how Hinata herself now felt.

Finally, the sole remaining seed broke its delicate bond with the stub to be carried away in the waft that now blew. She followed it wearily with her gaze as it danced away, floating carefree into the village. It was then that she noticed something moving about the hill. It caught sight of her and waved.

"Naruto-kun!" she said in silent surprise. On sight of his approaching form hope filled her so far to the brim, she smiled. Yet deep inside, she detested how he had that effect on her.

"Hey, Hinata-chan." He said, now only standing a few paces away. He had a nervous smile on his face, but she was only vaguely aware of it through the one question that was playing and replaying in her mind. _What is he doing here? What is he doing here?_

"What brings you here?" she asked, surprised at how easily the question came out. He didn't share her surprise at all, she noticed. Instead he rubbed the back of his neck almost embarrassedly.

"Um… yeah… you see, I was kinda on my way to Ichiraku's and… I was wondering…" he paused, scratching his temple and looking away. What Hinata nearly couldn't grasp as even a possibility was that the ninja turned a bright shade of _pink_.

_Is… is he… going to ask me out?_

In her mind the thought blew in and erupted into a flurry of concerns, doubts, and wishes that smashed and bound themselves together into a painful twinge of hope. She blinked. He was still there; blushing. _Blushing_. It was not until total silence had fallen upon them that she realized she was holding her breath. Inwardly she wanted so badly to scream that she would love to- to run into his arms and hear him confess his undying love of her and smile his wonderful smile.

"Y-yes, Naruto-kun?" she asked, diverting from her voice as much anxiety as humanely possible at that point.

"I was wondering if you'd happen to…"

_Yes? _

_YES?_

"…know where Sakura-chan is?"

"…" she stared blankly at the blushing boy before her, processing what he had just asked her. Quickly, she forced a smile and shook her head in mock apology, blinking back tears. Her heart was torn into pieces and warmed to the core all at once. Her love, whom she admired with such a passion, was acting so strangely, so adorably, so humbly right before her eyes. Only it was for another.

Sai was right. He would never love her, and as she watched him walk away with a "thanks anyway" and a wave, she almost- _almost_- wished she didn't love him.

Her love for him was that one, last, beautiful seedling on the dreary head of her dandelion; and the wind was steady picking up.

The streets of the village grew darker in the late evening. The busy, midday crowd that bustled about before had faded to the few last minute grocery shoppers and bored bachelors that still roamed around. Among these few Kiba walked, hands behind his head, to his home. It was there that a hungry Akamaru awaited him- as well a very comfy bed that was screaming his name.

_I wonder how Hinata's doing. I haven't seen her all night. _He thought. _I guess I'll-_

"Huh?"

Kiba lowered his hands from his head and looked into the dark mouth of a closed booth a little ways ahead. Squinting, he could make out the form of a person. He sniffed the air inconspicuously, and narrowed his eyes.

The guy just got here a few seconds ago. No one's out right now… and I'm sure he understands that I can tell he's here… so why is he hiding?

Slowly, the figure emerged from the shadows. It was a jonin, and a pretty young one at that. He didn't look familiar at all, but kiba reasoned that he just hadn't met this one yet.

Still… something's weird about this guy.

"Are you one of the former members of Konoha Squad 8?" the jonin asked.

"… At your service." Kiba answered casually, but his face and tone showed nothing but suspicion. "What do you want?"

"Hokage-sama has a job for you."

**This is the first time ever I've asked, and I hate having to, but please, if you like this story, review! It makes all this worthwhile :)**


	10. TO BE REDONE

A/N: Hey everyone! (er- that is- the few that actually read and review this). I am writing this note to declare Balance officially to be redone. This one is off the market.

**For those wondering why, I've been going through a huge change- a growth spurt in my writing, if you will. Meaning, this entire story looks like crap to me now. Thus, I am ending this old version and trying my newer writing skills out in a better version. Hopefully, things will be much clearer in that story than this one.**

**QUICK QUESTION by the way. You know what's going on so far, and I really want to change the title of this fic… so any ideas on what to rename it to? PM me or review anything you come up with :)**

**One last thing, I'm currently very much into ShikaSaku, so don't be surprised if you catch a smidge of it in there.**

**Thanks so much to Delkion, HinaHime2, ByakuganHyuuga360, and Universal Hope for reviewing and making my day (and all you non-reviewers out there that do too).**

**Peace and Chicken Grease~!**

**-Mannie**


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